After the Elf Died
by Goddess Hanyuu
Summary: The world has changed a lot ever since Lucy died. Nana has moved on and got a daughter, whom she named after Mariko. The presence of a Diclonius is not always accepted by mankind, which had almost come to an end. Rated M for nudity and sexual assaults.
1. Chapter 1

The world has changed much since Lucy died. Nana has moved on with her life, and this is the story of her daughter, whom she named after Mariko. Even the most innocent Diclonius is not accepted after mankind had almost come to an end.

Warning: This fanfic is based on the manga, which is a lot different from the anime. This fanfic contains spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read the manga.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

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It was supposed to be the end of mankind. Around the world, all the children that were born, were diclonius. One by one, they started killing every human being around them. Birth rates were low until the vaccine was finally fully developed.

The most dangerous diclonius were captured and killed. Others were just captured and held in several institutions for research. There was a lot of protest against them, since these researches were considered unethical. But the need to know more about diclonius and their instinct to kill homo sapiens was also considered needed for finding a way to help them suppress that instinct.

In the still small history of the diclonius, there has been only one who had managed to ignore the voice and suppress the instinct of killing the humans around her: Nana.

After all the horror she had faced all her life, she had finally found happiness after Lucy died. She got to live with Kurama, whom she still loved as a father. She went to school with Mayu and eventually got to live with a man she fell in love with and who fell in love with her, despite the fact that she was a diclonius.

After a few years, they got married and they even got a child. Even though the father was human, their daughter was a diclonius. Right after she was born, she was about to be taken away from them. But Nana was the living proof that not all diclonius were born killers. Having a diclonius as a mother could make the child grow up to be like Nana. She wouldn't kill Nana, since her instinct was to kill humans.

The father was also willing to take that risk. He believed Nana could convince their daughter not to kill him as soon as she turned three. After several court cases, they managed to get their baby back. But one misstep and the government would have the permission to capture her.

Nana and her husband decided to name their daughter Mariko, named after Kurama's real daughter. Kurama couldn't be happier, and he loved his granddaughter 'till the end. And as little Mariko grew up, it felt more and more like she was living for Mariko's sake. She was very fund of her parents and grandfather. She never even felt the urge to kill them, even after she had turned three. Maybe it was because she was half human.

To Kurama, it was like his daughter was reborn, and this was what she would be like if she had grown up normally.

Mariko seemed to develop a passion for music. She started to play flute when she was four years old, and she turned out to be very talented.

But Mariko had to go through a lot when she entered school. Even though she wore ribbons to hide her horns, everyone knew she was a diclonius. Parents took their children away from the school or demanded for Mariko to be banned from the school. Nana decided for her to be home schooled. Finding a teacher was hard, because the fear for diclonius had increased in the past ten years. Private teachers were afraid to be killed if they would start teaching Mariko.

Kouta and Yuka's daughter, Nyuu, always played with Mariko. She introduced her to other children, who immediately grew to like her. This was why Mariko was not lonely, even though she couldn't go to school. A few of those children were glad to tell Mariko what they had learned at school and Mariko listened to them with full attention.

So children were not afraid of Mariko and Mariko was able to learn from them. They often asked her to perform a trick with her vectors, and sometimes she would lift things up and juggle with them. Because she was the only diclonius around and therefore the only one who could perform something like this, Mariko became quite popular among children. They also liked her horns. They made her look cool.

So Mariko grew up being accepted by children her age, but not by their parents or any other adults.

When she became thirteen, her friends started to have less time for her since they all entered junior school. Mariko started to get bored during the day. Even if she would play the flute for hours every day, she would still be bored the rest of the day.

"Mariko," Nana said one day. "I have some good news for you. I finally found someone who's willing to teach you here at home."

"Really?!" Mariko said.

"Yes," Nana answered, "I've spoken to him a couple of times and convinced him that nothing will happen to him. Since I'm a diclonius myself, he believed me. He's going to teach you starting tomorrow."

"Mom, you're the best!" Mariko said while holding her mother tightly, causing one of Nana's arms to fall off.

Mariko's home teacher was a thirty year old, good looking teacher. He did seem a bit nervous after seeing Mariko's horns.

"I'm very pleased to meet you," Mariko said. "I promise I will work hard and do my best."

"Nice to meet you too, Mariko-chan," the teacher said. "My name is Takahashi Hideaki."

(Japanese way: last name, then first name.)

While he was talking, he kept looking at Mariko's horns.

Mariko noticed that and said: "If you don't like the sight of these horns, I can hide them…"

"No, no, I'm sorry," Takahashi said. "It's just the first time for me to teach a…" He didn't dare to finish the sentence.

"Diclonius?" Mariko finished his sentence. "It's okay. I'm used to it. I'm half human, you know."

"Yes, right," Takahashi said.

"So please treat me like you would treat any other student," Mariko said with a friendly smile.

"Oh, sure I will," Takahashi answered. "Well then, let's get started, shall we?"

Nana watched as the two started the very first lesson Mariko had ever had. She was happy.

Takahashi lived in a house close to theirs. Mariko waited for him every morning until she could see him walking. She was very anxious to learn about the world. She made essays and other homework and she was doing very well.

As for Takahashi, he got used to Mariko pretty quickly because of her bright and lively personality. Soon, he forgot all about Mariko or Nana being diclonius and talked to them like he would talk to normal human beings.

It was like Mariko's life couldn't get any better. But it wouldn't last for very long.

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**And that concludes the first chapter. If there are any mistakes or if there's anything that's making no sense whatsoever, please let me know. Next chapter's coming up later today. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Mariko's growing up fast. At the age of seventeen, she faces the cruelties of the outside world for the first time. But right after it, she is given a great oppertunity.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

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When Mariko became seventeen, something terrible happened. Kurama, who was working in a new institution that performed research on diclonius, was hospitalized. He worked at that institution as mental support for some of the diclonius, just like he was for Nana all those years ago. But one of the diclonius listened to the voice of her DNA, and escaped from her cell. Kurama, who had mentally supported her ever since she was a baby, tried to stop her and convince her to ignore the voice. But it was no use. Her DNA had completely taken over her body and cut off Kurama's one real arm and his legs.

Immediately after, the girl was killed with a Tungsten, and Kurama was taken to a hospital.

Mariko received the phone call that her grandfather was in the hospital. She and her parents immediately went to the hospital, where Kurama was still in the Intensive Care.

After several hours of waiting, one of the doctors finally came out to tell them that he had regained consciousness. However, he wouldn't have much longer to live, since he had lost too much blood. Nana and Mariko were allowed to go inside and say goodbye to him.

"Papa…" Nana cried. "Papa, please! Don't die!"

Kurama just forced a smile and said: "Now I finally know… what pain you have been through… all those years ago…"

Nana remembered it all too well. About twenty years ago, she used to be just like that.

"But… I… I survived, Papa," she cried. "So… you can survive, too, right?"

"I'm afraid… I'm too old…" Kurama said. "At least… I was able to help… children like Nana… who can eventually live on their own… I've done everything I could."

"Don't say that, Grandpa," Mariko cried.

"M… Mariko," Kurama said. "You've grown to be such a beautiful young woman… just like your mother… Ever since you were born… it has felt like… my daughter… who you were named after… came back to me… and is now living the life she could have had… if she would have lived with me…"

Kurama panted.

"Papa!" Nana yelled.

Kurama forced a smile again.

"I think… it's time for me… to go," he said. "I'm very happy… to die… with the two of you right beside me… Now I can die… without regrets…"

"Papa…" Nana cried. She understood. "I love you, Papa."

"I love you too, Nana," Kurama said. "And I love you too, Mariko… very much…"

He slowly closed his eyes.

"You have made me… the happiest person in the world…" he whispered. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Papa," Nana sobbed.

"Goodbye… Grandpa," Mariko cried.

As Kurama released his last breath, Nana and Mariko held each other tightly and burst into tears.

When they left the room, Mariko ran towards her father and held him tightly.

"Papa," she cried loudly, "Grandpa is… Grandpa is…!"

Nana sobbed as she left the room. But she smiled.

"Papa died… a happy man," she said. "That makes me happy."

But after she said it, she also burst into tears again.

Mariko had played the flute at the funeral. That was her grandfather's wish. He always loved it when she played the flute for him and he always said that when he would die one day, she would have to play on his funeral. Mariko always said she would, but she never thought about the fact that her grandfather would really die someday.

Ever since, she wasn't as lively and eager to learn as she used to be. She still did her homework, but not as enthusiastic as she used to. And it wasn't as good as it used to be.

Takahashi felt really sorry for her, but felt like he had to stay strict on her. Mariko's grades were getting worse.

One day, Takahashi was invited to stay for dinner. That was when he found out that Mariko had not been eating well lately. She left the table early and went upstairs.

"Please excuse me for a minute," he said after a while.

On his way to the bathroom, he heard the most beautiful song upstairs. He went back to the living room and asked: "Is it alright if I go upstairs and talk to Mariko-chan?"

"I don't think she'll talk, but you can try," Nana said.

Takahashi went upstairs, but didn't find Mariko in her room. Then were did the music come from?

The window was open. Mariko was on the roof.

Takahashi tried to climb through the window, up the roof. There he saw Mariko playing the flute. It was like she was steering the wind with the melody. It was the most beautiful sound and sight.

He kept listening without Mariko noticing he was there. Tears were rolling down her cheek as she played the beautiful but sad melody.

When she finished the song, Takahashi said: "Amazing."

He scared Mariko who instinctively crawled backwards. When she saw it was just her teacher, she sighed in relief.

"Sensei… you scared me," she said.

"Sorry," Takahashi said. "But I mean it: you're very talented."

"You've been listening the whole time?" Mariko asked. She was blushing.

"Yes," Takahashi answered. "Why aren't you joining an orchestra or something?"

"It's not like… someone like me… would be accepted in an orchestra," Mariko said.

"Why not?" Takahashi asked. But then he looked at her horns. "Oh… I see," he said.

Mariko sighed. "It's okay, though," she said. "I manage just fine without being in an orchestra."

"But that _is_ what you really want, right?" Takahashi asked.

Mariko looked at him. He just saw right through her!

"Some friends of mine are in the same orchestra," Takahashi said. "I could ask them to let you join them, if you'd like."

Mariko looked very interested, but said: "Oh, but I don't think I…"

"Leave it to me," Takahashi said with a smile. "Your cultural development is also very important and you're clearly talented enough."

"But won't I be…"

"No buts," Takahashi interrupted her. "I'll take care of it."

Mariko seemed a little confused, but also a bit… happy.

"Thank you, sensei," she said.

Right at that moment, Takahashi, who was standing in the window all the time, slipped and fell.

"Sensei!!" Mariko yelled. She immediately used her vectors to catch him. She made it just in time.

Takahashi, who didn't know what was going on, was lifted back up the roof, right next to Mariko.

"Are you ok, sensei?!" Mariko asked.

"I… I am…" Takahashi said. "What just happened?"

"Ah!" Mariko just realized what she had done. She had promised not to use her vectors in front of her teacher.

"I'm sorry!" she said. "I just wanted to save you! I'm really sorry, sensei!"

Takahashi didn't understand at first, but now he did. He crawled backwards a little.

"You… Did you…?" he asked nervously. "Did you use…"

"I'm sorry!" Mariko said again. "You were falling and I… I didn't want you to get hurt because of me… So I…"

"You saved me?" Takahashi asked.

Mariko looked at him and blushed. "Y-yeah…" she said shyly.

He looked at her, who had just saved him with the power she could have used to kill him a long time ago. The idea of being saved by the power of a diclonius was kind of scary, but…

He patted her head. "Thank you," he said.

Mariko's blush became even more red. "I… I promise I won't use my vectors anymore," she said.

Takahashi smiled. "Let's just forget that ever happened and get off this roof."

Nana and her husband were surprised to see both Takahashi and Mariko coming downstairs with smiles on their faces.

"Good news," Takahashi said. "Mariko-chan is going to join an orchestra."

"An orchestra?" Nana repeated. "Oh, I don't know if she…"

"It'll be alright," Takahashi said. "I'll take care of it."

Nana looked at Mariko. "Are you sure that's what you want?" she asked.

"Yes, I'd really like that," Mariko said.

"Then it's alright by me," Nana said. Her husband nodded.

"Thank you…" Mariko said. She looked at her teacher… and hugged him. Surprised as he was, he patted her head and smiled at her parents, who smiled back at him.

"All of you… Thank you."

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**This is the end of the chapter, but the beginning of the real story. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible, but first I'll need to um... write it. Please tell me what you think of the story so far, and keep an eye on it if you like it :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Mariko is about to make a first step into living with humans, but then something terrible happens. She doesn't know what happened, but her teacher, Takahashi, is determined to save her.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

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She stood in front of the building. The building where she was about to have her first rehearsal. She was a bit nervous.

Takahashi laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Go on, it's ok," he said. "I'm going with you."

Mariko nodded. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Everyone from the orchestra looked her way, making her a little nervous.

When Takahashi followed her inside, one elderly man said: "Hideaki-kun! Is this the young lady you were talking about?"

"Yes, this is Mariko-chan," Takahashi said.

The man walked towards them and shook Mariko's hand.

"Welcome, welcome," he said. "I'm always glad to see young people with a passion for music. It makes me feel all warm inside. You see those three young people over there? They must be about your age."

"Oh… I… I see," Mariko said with a forced smile. "It's nice to meet you all."

The people the old man just mentioned joined them in their conversation.

"Hey, you're the new flutist, aren't you?" one of them said friendlily.

"Ah, yes," Mariko said. She looked at the violin in his hand.

"And you play the violin," she said. "Isn't that hard to play?"

"Oh, I've played it for twelve years now," the boy said. "Oh, by the way, I'm Yamato, and these are Kaede and Kazue."

Mariko recognized the two girls.

"Hey, aren't you friends of Nyuu-chan's?" she asked.

"Yeah, we know you," Kaede said. She looked at the ribbons in Mariko's hair.

"Nice ribbons," she said. She winked at Mariko, who blushed.

That's right. They knew who she really was.

"It's been a while," Kazue said. "You've grown up."

"Alright, people," the elderly man said, drawing everybody's attention. "I would like you to welcome the newest member of our orchestra: Mariko-chan!"

Kaede and Kazue were the first ones to cheer for Mariko.

"You should know, Mariko-chan," the elderly continued, "you can't just join our orchestra like that. So let us hear your best."

Mariko looked around to find everyone staring at her. She looked at Takahashi, who had an apologizing smile on his face. Did he forget to tell her that?

"A-alright…" she said carefully. She put her flute together, warmed it up and started playing. Everyone in the room listened with their eyes wide open. Even the twins Kaede and Kazue looked surprised.

When she had finished the song, she got a loud applause.

"We definitely got ourselves a new member!" the old man said. "Mariko-chan, welcome to the family!"

"Thank you," Mariko said happily. "I'll do my best!"

Takahashi proudly looked at his student. Seeing her smile made him feel extremely happy.

While everyone settled down for the rehearsal, Kaede took Mariko's shoulder and quickly whispered: "By the way, no one knows who you… _what_ you really are, so please don't tell them."

Mariko looked at her.

_They don't know?!_

But before she could say anything back, Kaede took her oboe and sat down.

Mariko ran towards Takahashi and asked: "Sensei, you didn't tell them who I really am?!"

Takahashi stared at her.

"Of course not," he said. "Don't you think it would scare people if they knew?"

"I… I guess…" Mariko said. She looked disappointed.

"Hey," Takahashi said, "you'll be just fine as long as you don't take off those ribbons."

Mariko nodded.

It was her first rehearsal and people were genuinely impressed by her talent. Some of them said she should study music and become a professional.

Takahashi brought her back to his house. Her house was just a few minutes walking from his, so he offered to go with her, just in case.

When he helped her out of the car, he asked: "How did you like it?"

Mariko didn't say anything. Instead, she gave him another hug. She held him tightly.

Takahashi was surprised and didn't move for a while, but then he patted her head.

"Hey now, what's this?" he asked kindly.

"You're the best, sensei," Mariko said. "Thank you so much."

Takahashi couldn't help but blush slightly. He gently pushed her away.

"You're exaggerating, student," he said. "I'm still your teacher, remember?"

"S-sorry, sensei," Mariko said.

Together they walked to Mariko's house, where her parents were waiting for her for dinner. They walked in silence for a while. Mariko was lost in thoughts.

_Walking together with Takahashi-sensei… is kind of nice…_

She knew she was in love with him. He was always so kind to her, despite of her being a diclonius. There was something special about him. He wasn't the kind of teacher who never showed any emotions or was always strict or something. Sure, he was a little strict, but also very patient.

She bumped into something. It was Takahashi's arm. She looked at him.

"Sensei?" she asked carefully. Takahashi looked straight in front of him.

"What are you looking at, sensei?" Mariko asked. She looked in front of her… and suddenly her heart skipped a beat.

_What… what is this?!_

A big vehicle was standing in front of her house. Two men in strange uniforms were standing beside it.

Takahashi turned to face Mariko, grabbed her shoulders and said: "Mariko-chan, go hide in there. Stay there until I'm back, ok?"

"What's going on?" Mariko asked. "Mama and Papa…"

"Hide," Takahashi repeated. "I'll go check what's going on. You just be a good girl and hide."

"Sensei…"

"Now!"

Mariko stared at him for several seconds before she nodded and hid in the bushes.

Takahashi headed for the house. The two men beside the vehicle spotted him and talked to him.

"Sir, you're not allowed to go in," one of the men said.

"What's going on here?" Takahashi asked calmly.

"You know the people who live here?" the man asked.

"Yes, I do," Takahashi said. "And who are you?"

"We're from the Research Facility for Diclonius, also known as RFD," the man answered. "We're looking for the diclonius who lives here and her daughter."

"What about them?"

"We need to take them with us."

"'With you'?"

"To the RFD, where they belong."

Takahashi saw a few other men coming out of the house. They were covered in blood.

"What are you doing?!" Takahashi asked. "Those people are allowed to live here! They haven't ever harmed anybody!"

"There's a new law," the man explained. "The presence of diclonius in the open has affected the safety feeling of humans for long enough now. All diclonius are obligated to be kept inside facilities like ours."

"Captain," one of the men who just left the house said. "I'm sorry, but we had to kill them. They didn't co-operate. The target named Nana used her vectors on us. The husband tried to stop her, but she accidentally killed him with her vectors."

One of the men had lost an arm. The others helped him into the van.

"The fools," the captain said. "The oldest diclonius alive… If only she would've co-operated. Ahw well."

Takahashi felt a combination of disbelief and rage going though his body.

"Anyways, you knew these people, right?" the captain said. "Where's their daughter?"

Takahashi looked at him.

_They're after Mariko-chan, too. I bet Nana-san did what she did in order to save her._

"I don't know," he lied. "I just wanted to stop by for a visit. But going this far…!"

The man pointed a gun at him.

"Shut up," he said. "If you wish to stay alive, you'd better mind your own business. And if you ever tell anyone about this, I swear I'll shoot your heart out!"

"People will notice they're gone," Takahashi said calmly, even though he was shaking a little.

"Oh, don't worry about that," the man said with a grin on his face. "That diclonius is going to take all the blame. That way, we'll find the other one real soon."

He laughed.

"Now beat it!" he yelled. "Get lost! And you haven't seen anything, got it?!"

Takahashi stared at him for a few seconds, then ran away. He ran until he was out of sight for those men. Then he started searching the bushes.

"Mariko-chan?" he whispered. "Mariko-chan…"

"Sensei?" he heard a voice whisper back. He looked left and the first thing he saw was a very worried looking face.

"Sensei, what's going on? Where are my parents?" she asked. "Why can't I sense my mother's presence?"

"Shh, come with me and don't make a sound," Takahashi whispered.

Mariko had no idea what terrible news she was about to hear. She knew it was bad, but she didn't even dare to think about that before they ran inside Takahashi's house.

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See next chapter to see how Mariko is going to react to the news. Thank you so much for reading so far, I really hope you like it.

If I have made any typing or grammar mistakes, please tell me.


	4. Chapter 4

Nana and her husband have been killed! Takahashi saves Mariko by secretly taking her home. It's up to him to break the news to Mariko, but how will she, the Diclonius she is, react?

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Takahashi locked the door and led Mariko towards the living room.

"Sensei, please tell me what's going on," Mariko said with teary eyes. "Where are my parents?"

Takahashi closed the curtains and turned on only one light.

"Mariko-chan, please sit down," he said.

"No," Mariko said. "I want to see my parents."

"I know," Takahashi said, "but you have to listen to me and listen closely. Now please sit down."

"No!" Mariko said again. "Sensei, what have they done to my parents?!"

"Mariko-chan…"

"Tell me!" she yelled. This was the first time she ever yelled. She grabbed his shoulders and jolted him lightly. "Tell me! Please!"

"Mariko-chan! Calm down!" Takahashi said. He grabbed her wrists and freed himself from her grip.

Mariko looked at his hands holding her wrists. Then she looked back in his eyes. She panted and tried to calm herself.

"They… they've… killed my parents, haven't they?" she asked in a shaking voice. She started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Mariko-chan," Takahashi said.

Those words cut through her whole body like a knife. It was like her heart would never beat again. Something was moving inside her. The only thing moving inside her. She knew this feeling.

_I have to get out of here!_

She ran for the back door, but it was locked.

"Wait!" Takahashi said. "Where are you going?!"

A strange wind was going through the room.

"Mariko-chan?" Takahashi asked.

Suddenly, it felt like he was thrown away by something. He landed on the other side of the room. When he reopened his eyes, he saw the door burst into pieces and Mariko run away.

"Mariko-chan!!" he yelled. "Come back!!"

Mariko ran. She ran as fast as she could. Away. Away from everything and everyone. To a place where she couldn't hurt anyone. When she reached a deserted place, she let herself go.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!"

Everything around her got destroyed as she released her vectors with all the energy she had.

_Why? WHY?! How could something like this happen?! First Grandpa, now Mama and Papa! What did they ever do to deserve this?! Why is this world so cruel?! WHY?!_

As these thoughts kept spinning through her head, more and more trees and plants were getting destroyed.

_**Now you see what comes from living together with humans? You'll always end up getting betrayed.**_

_No, that's not true! There are humans I can trust!_

_**They'll probably betray you too.**_

_No, they would never…_

_**That's how this world is.**_

_You're lying!_

_**You just saw how cruel this world can be. They've murdered your parents.**_

_Mama… Papa… you didn't do anything wrong! Then why did they…_

_**Because you don't belong in this world. Neither did your mother.**_

_Why not, all of a sudden?! We never did anything wrong!_

_**Humans think they can decide who lives and who dies. Who belongs in this world or not. And we don't. We're natural enemies.**_

_But Papa…_

_**He was just a foolish human.**_

_No…_

_**There's only one way for you to get over this pain.**_

_I don't think I ever will…_

_**Make this world a place of your own. Start your own family of all Dicl**__**onius. Just let me take over and I will make it happen.**_

_No! I've never listened to you before and I won't do it now, either!_

_**You'll just keep suffering if you don't…**_

"NO! SHUT UP!"

"Mariko-chan! Mariko-chan!"

Takahashi found her right in the middle of all the mess around her. She had used up so much energy that she had fainted. She was mumbling things when he picked her up.

"Calm down, it's me!" he said as Mariko was screaming and struggling.

Suddenly, she calmed down and fell back to sleep. Apparently, she had heard his voice.

Takahashi looked around from where they stood.

_She did all this?_

He had never seen anything like this. Her vectors must have an amazingly long reach. From where they stood, they must have a radius of about fifteen metres!

He looked at Mariko, who was looking so innocent, sleeping in his arms. Her clothes were ripped and her ribbons were gone. Her horns were completely visible now.

He stared at them. The only visible difference between her and the rest of the world.

Wait… Those horns…

_Are__ they… bigger?!_

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Once again, please tell me if I made any grammar mistakes. Thank you for reading, and I'll come up with a new chapter real soon! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Warning: This fanfic is based on the manga, which is a lot different from the anime. This fanfic contains spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read the manga.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

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"_You're coming wi__th us, and so is your daughter."_

"_I'll go with you, but Mariko hasn't fought her whole life. She's barely used her vectors. I don't even think she knows how to use them anymore. So let her out of this."_

"_All Diclonius must be captured and kept inside our facilities. You have let humans live in fear for long enough now. We must seize your daughter as well."_

"_She's only a child!"_

"_All Diclonius are born to kill humans, you know that as well as I do. Where is your daughter?"_

"_She's not here."_

"_Search the house."_

"_I told you, she's not here!"_

"_Then we'll just wait for her to come home."_

"_Leave her alone!"_

"_We're only following our commands."_

"_You don't understand! She'll never survive in that institution!"_

"_If that's the case, we'll just have to kill her right away. Is that what you prefer?"_

"…"

"_I thought so. Take her inside the van."_

"_Leave my wife alone!"_

"_Captain! Look at her eyes!"_

"… _**Say that again…?**__"_

"_What the…?"_

"_**What did you say you will do to my daughter?**__"_

"_Nana, stop it!"_

"_**Stay out of this. I'll kill them.**__"_

"_Shoot her!"_

"_NO! STOP IT!"_

_BANG!!_

"NO! PAPA!"

The first thing Mariko saw was the face of her teacher.

"Mariko-chan," he said. "Calm down. It's me."

She was panting heavily, and sweat drops were dripping down her face.

"Ta… Takahashi… sensei," she said. "Why are you…?"

"Lie back down," Takahashi said. "You've got a fever."

Mariko looked around. This wasn't her room. Where was she? And why was Takahashi here?

… _That's right… Mama… Papa…_

She started to cry. She buried her face in her hands and she was shaking. She couldn't breathe normally.

"Mariko-chan," Takahashi said. "Get a grip on yourself! Lie back down, it'll be alright!"

"No, it won't!" Mariko cried. Her hands grasped her head tightly. She started shaking even more heavily.

"I… sa-saw them!" she said. "I s-saw how they…"

She didn't even feel the need to finish that sentence. Not that she could. Because right after she said this, she blacked out again.

When she woke up, Takahashi was still there. She tried to sit up again, but it was like all the energy she had was drained away. Then why was she still able to cry?

As the tears kept flowing, she calmly said: "This can't be happening… It's not real…"

"I'm sorry, Mariko-chan," Takahashi said.

"It's not your fault, Sensei," Mariko said. "Mama and Papa died because of me. I should have stayed with them."

"No, don't start blaming yourself. You couldn't have known. You're the last one to blame, you hear me?"

She kept crying for a long time. Takahashi was caressing her head and didn't speak until she stopped crying.

After a long time that felt like days, Mariko stopped crying and looked at her teacher. He was taking care of her. He had stayed with her while she was unconscious. While she was sleeping.

She blushed. She had dreamed about this countless times, but she had never expected for this to actually happen. Especially under these circumstances. He was so kind. Such a good person.

He laid his hand on her forehead.

"Looks like your fever is going down," he said. Mariko blushed even more.

"You think you can eat?" he asked. "I have some medicine, but you can't have them on an empty stomach. You haven't eaten in a few days."

'_A few days'?_

"Sensei," Mariko said. Her voice sounded strange. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Three days," Takahashi answered. "You woke up earlier today, but that wasn't for long. That was a few hours ago."

"Three days…" Mariko repeated with a sigh. "I'm sorry for being a burden, Sensei."

"Are you kidding?" Takahashi said. "You're not a burden. I want to help you."

Mariko looked into his eyes.

"Now, I'm going to make you something to eat," he said. "Stay in bed, ok? I'll be right back."

After a few minutes, he came back with a rice porridge. Mariko wasn't hungry at all, but she ate it anyway. When she finished it, she sighed.

"What's going to happen from here?" she asked. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing," Takahashi said. "You concentrate on getting better first, and then we'll see what we're going to do."

"'We'?" Mariko asked. "Sensei, you don't have anything to do with this. You shouldn't get involved."

"Too late," Takahashi said with a smile. "Here I am, taking care of you in secrecy."

She stared at him.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I'll recover and get out of here as quickly as I can."

"Where do you plan on going then?" Takahashi asked. "No way, I'm not letting my student get out there all alone. I'll take care of you."

"Do you know what you're risking?" Mariko asked. "I can't expect from you to…"

"Don't worry about it," Takahashi said. He kept smiling.

Mariko blushed. "Ok…" she said hesitantly. "For the time being then."

Takahashi laughed and caressed her head again, making Mariko blush even more. She looked at her hands.

Her hands… her arms…

_Huh? What am I wearing?_

She was wearing a shirt that was way too large for her.

"Sensei?" she asked. "This shirt…"

"Oh, right, that's mine," Takahashi said. "Your clothes were completely ruined when I found you."

Now Mariko's face became completely red. She stared at him with eyes wide open and pulled the sheets up to her chin.

"You… you changed my clothes?!" she asked.

"Yes, but it's alright," Takahashi said calmly. "I didn't do anything weird or something."

"Oh my God…" Mariko said nervously. She felt her chest. "You even took off my bra?!"

"The back was completely torn," Takahashi said quickly. "It was useless."

Mariko didn't even dare to look at him anymore.

_He saw me naked!_

"You mustn't think I'm some kind of pervert or anything now," he laughed. "I just couldn't let you sleep in those clothes. So I gave you my shirt instead."

Mariko still didn't look at him.

Takahashi sighed. "Listen," he said. "There is one more thing I'm concerned about… Your… Your horns…"

Mariko looked back at him again. Seeing the seriousness in his face made her feel uncomfortable.

"What about them?" she asked.

"They've grown bigger," Takahashi said.

"Eh? Really?" Mariko asked. She reached to one of her horns.

_What the…?!_

In a flash, she stood up and ran towards the mirror on the other side of the room. When she looked into it, she saw that her horns were indeed a lot bigger.

"How… How?! How could this be?!" she yelled. She felt her horns again. "Since when are they…?!"

Takahashi stood up. "Mariko-chan, you shouldn't be standing up so soon," he said. He gently grabbed her shoulders. "You should lie back…"

Mariko flinched as soon as she felt his hands. She quickly turned around. Takahashi had a surprised look on his face.

"… down," he finished his sentence.

An awkward silence…

Mariko looked away. The shirt was slipping down one shoulder. She quickly pulled it back up.

"S-sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to…" She saw her reflection in the mirror again. She grabbed her horns firmly. "What's happening to me?"

"I don't know," Takahashi said.

"I wish I didn't have these," Mariko said. "I want to get rid of them."

"You'd still be you if you didn't have them," Takahashi said. "You're not like everyone describes a Diclonius. You would never hurt anybody… just like your mother."

"You don't know…" Mariko said. "I keep hearing…" She looked at him.

_No, I'd better not tell him about that voice._

"Never mind," she said. "I'm… I'm going to take a walk. I need to think…"

"You're not going anywhere," Takahashi said strictly. "You stay in bed until your fever is gone, understand?"

Mariko was even too tired to argue and obediently went back to bed.

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**Yay! I've finally figured out this chapter thing! xD It's been a while since I last uploaded new chapters, but I sure haven't given up on this story! I've just started writing chapter 11, so there's another 5 chapters coming up right now :P Hope you like it. Please read&rate! ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: This fanfic is based on the manga, which is a lot different from the anime. This fanfic contains spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read the manga.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mariko finally recovered after a few days. The only problem was she couldn't go outside. If people would see her, they would capture her and keep her imprisoned for the rest of her life.

Another problem was clothing. Takahashi couldn't go to her house to pick up some of her clothes, since the house was guarded by people from the RFD. So Mariko had no other choice but to wear some of Takahashi's old clothes until she was done sewing some clothes of her own. This led to some very awkward moments, since some shirts slipped down a bit, almost revealing her breasts. And she still didn't have a bra.

She also cleaned the whole house to show her gratitude for Takahashi taking the risk of hiding her. She also made him dinner every night, but didn't eat much herself.

After about two weeks living like this, Mariko came up with an idea.

"Sensei," she said. "I know a way for me to get rid of my horns!"

Mariko's horns had become too big to hide, so even in disguise, no hat or ribbons were able to hide them.

"Really? Tell me," Takahashi said.

"Although I'm not sure what'll happen if I do this…" Mariko said.

"Do what?" Takahashi asked.

"Well… I'm going to use my 'hands' to knock them off," Mariko said. "They're strong enough to knock them off my head, I'm sure of that."

"You can't do that," Takahashi said strictly. "It's too dangerous."

"But I can't stay here for the rest of my life," Mariko said.

"But using your vectors is far too dangerous," Takahashi said. "I won't allow it."

"This is my own decision, Sensei," Mariko said, and she headed for the back door. It was locked.

"Please unlock the door," she said without looking at him.

"No," Takahashi said.

Mariko turned around and looked at him.

"Sensei, please unlock the door," she repeated.

"No," Takahashi said. "This is a bad idea, Mariko-chan. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'll just climb through a window or something," Mariko mumbled to herself, trying to find a window that she could open.

"Stop it," Takahashi said.

"No!" Mariko yelled. "I can't stand staying inside any longer! I want to be free again!"

"You'll get locked away in an institution if you go outside," Takahashi said. "Think about it!"

"So you want to keep me locked in here instead?!" Mariko asked. "If I remove my horns, I can be free again!"

"This is crazy," Takahashi said.

Mariko made a face and ran for the front door.

"Hey! Come back!" Takahashi yelled. But she was already gone. He ran outside to look for her.

_Damn, she's fast!_

Meanwhile, Mariko ran to the back of the house so that so one would see her. She looked back to make sure Takahashi didn't follow her. She may accidentally hit him, too.

_No one there…_

She sighed and took a deep breath. Her vectors came out and…

Takahashi ran to the back of the house. When he was around the corner, it was too late. He couldn't believe what he saw. Mariko was lying on her back. Blood came from the places where her horns used to be. He saw one of them lying right next to her and the other one…

_Oh my God!!_

… right next to his foot.

He got down on his knees beside Mariko and tried to wake her up.

"Mariko-chan! Mariko-chan!" he said. "Get a grip!"

He took off his glasses and held them in front of her mouth.

_She's breathing. Thank God._

When he lifted her up, he noticed something else. Her long hair stayed on the floor.

_She cut off her hair?!_

The long hair she always wore in pigtails, had changed into a very short, messy haircut. She looked like a different person.

He couldn't take her to the hospital. She would be discovered and taken away. So Takahashi decided to put some bandages around her head to stop the bleeding.

Mariko woke up the next morning. Her head really hurt. When she rose her hand and felt her head, she noticed something was different.

She stood up slowly and looked into the mirror. What was the white thing she saw? Her vision was blurry.

_Am I wearing a headband or something?_

She looked more closely and saw there were bandages around the upper side of her head. She turned her head a little and saw blood stains on the places where her horns used to be.

_I did it…_

"I did it!" she yelled out loud. A big smirk appeared on her face.

Takahashi ran into the room.

"Mariko-chan?!" he said. Then he saw Mariko right in front of him, happier than ever.

"Oh, thank God," he said. "You're awake."

"I told you it would work!" Mariko said. Then she realized that she was being rude to talk to her teacher like that. "S-sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to be…"

Takahashi embraced her.

"Don't ever scare me like that," he said. "I thought I was getting a heart attack when I saw you lie out there."

Mariko's heart was beating faster and faster.

_Sensei… holding me like this…_

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She rested her head on his shoulder.

_He's warm…_

Takahashi let go of her.

"You have to get back into bed," he said. "You're badly injured."

"I'm fine," Mariko lied. "It barely hurts."

"Are you sure?" Takahashi asked.

"The Diclonius blood is strong, you know," Mariko said with a smile. She walked towards the door.

"I'll go make breakfa…"

She fainted.

"Mariko-chan!"

When she woke up, Takahashi's face was close to hers. He was checking her temperature. He took the thermometer out of her mouth and looked at it. Mariko moaned a little. Takahashi looked at her.

"You're awake?" he asked.

"Yes," Mariko whispered.

Takahashi looked back at the thermometer.

"You sure have a talent for scaring me," he said without looking at her. "Ok, your temperature is normal."

"I was surprised as well," Mariko said. "I won't do it again."

"Good," Takahashi said. He smiled at her, making her blush again.

"Sensei… why are you doing all this?" she asked shyly. "You could've just turned me in, then you wouldn't have to put yourself in danger. Why are you going through all this trouble for someone like me?"

Takahashi stared at her for a few seconds.

"It's because you are something special," he said. "You're smart, a fast learner and you're very talented in playing the flute. You have so much potential to become a great person in the future… I couldn't let that all go to waste in an institution, could I?"

"Really?" Mariko asked. Her eyes were sparkling.

"Yes," Takahashi said.

Mariko smiled. "You're such a good person, Sensei," she said. "I don't deserve your kindness."

Takahashi laughed. "I think you're getting a little delirious," he said. "Anyway, I have to change your bandages, so please bear with me for a while.

Mariko's face became red and her heart was beating like crazy when his face was so close while he was changing her bandages.

_Calm down, Mariko, he's only changing bandages… Oh, I mustn't think about something like…_

She closed her eyes.

_Such a nice smell…_

She could feel his breath over her face. She started to shake a little.

_No, don't think about something like that. He's much older than me. He's my teacher, for crying out loud! We could never… never…_

He interrupted his actions.

_Why are you stopping?_

When Mariko opened her eyes, she found herself doing something she had never expected she would ever do.

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**Curious? XP I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter, I must say... Once again, I really hope you like it; please let me know! Thank you very much ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

Warning: This fanfic is based on the manga, which is a lot different from the anime. This fanfic contains spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read the manga.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mariko couldn't believe what she was doing when she opened her eyes.

_What… am I doing?!_

Takahashi didn't move. He was too surprised.

How could Mariko not have noticed that she was kissing him?

_Sensei's face… closer than ever… And his lips…_

Takahashi got a grip of himself and gently pushed her away.

"What… what was that?" he asked, not completely sure of what just happened.

"Haah! I… I… I'm so sorry!" Mariko said nervously. "I didn't mean to… I mean… I'm sorry!"

"You… You just kissed me…" Takahashi said in disbelief. "Why did you…?"

This was very awkward for both of them. Mariko pulled the bed sheets all over her head.

_How can I face him right now?! I can't run away and avoid him! Oh, what should I do?!_

"Mariko-chan…?" Takahashi said. Mariko didn't move.

Takahashi sighed.

"You're in love with me, aren't you?" he said.

"No! No! I'm not!" he heard a muffled voice say from underneath the sheets.

"It's ok," Takahashi said calmly. "I already know."

Mariko threw the sheets off her.

"I'm not in love with you!" she said.

"You don't have to be ashamed," Takahashi said calmly. He reached out to caress her head like he always did. But Mariko flinched and shoved away from him, almost falling out of the bed.

"Mariko-chan…"

"Don't touch me… please…" Mariko said. "It's so painful... I know it's wrong, ok?"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Takahashi said friendlily. "I think it's rather flattering."

"But you don't feel the same for me," Mariko said. "So it's painful to me."

Takahashi came to sit closer to her.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's ok, you know… I'm trying my best to get over it, but…" Mariko said.

Takahashi bent over to her and kissed her on the cheek. Mariko's face became fire red.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright," he said with a smile.

He stood up.

"I'll go get you something to eat," he said. "Now stay in bed for a change, ok?"

"Y-yes," Mariko said.

After a few days, Mariko's wounds were starting to heal and she took off the bandages. She tried to cover the wounds with her hair, but it was so messy, she looked ridiculous.

She wasn't ready to go outside yet. She decided to cut her hair more properly. And she needed a different hair colour, so people might not recognize her. Her hair was dark purple like her mother's. She decided to dye it dark brown. That way, she wouldn't stand out.

Of course, Takahashi was the one who had to go buy hair dye, leading to an awkward moment at the cash register. People were probably thinking he was starting to grow grey hair. And that for a man his age.

He almost didn't recognize her when she appeared in front of him with brown hair in a short cut. The only thing that remained the same were her cute face and her green eyes. Nana's eyes. He always wondered if she even took something after her father at all.

"Amazing," he said. "You look just like a normal human girl."

"Really?" Mariko asked.

"The brown suits you," Takahashi said.

"Thank you," Mariko said. "Do you think anyone will recognize me?"

"I don't know," Takahashi said. "I think if your friends take a good look, they'll know it's you."

"I don't mind if they recognize me," Mariko said. "That's fine. They would never betray me."

"If you're 100 percent sure, then I won't stop you from going outside," Takahashi said.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Sensei," Mariko said. "I'll be back around 5 o'clock so I can make you dinner."

She looked at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, right," she said. "I should change clothes, first."

She put on the clothes she had been sewing. She made herself a simple top and a skirt.

"You're… not very good at sewing, are you?" Takahashi said when he saw her. And he was right. The top was too tight and the skirt was too wide.

"I'm so embarrassed," Mariko said. "I can't wear these."

The skirt was slipping down a bit, showing Mariko's panties. Takahashi turned around and faced the wall.

"I'll just be looking this way now," he said with a slight blush. "Listen… I might have some of my sister's clothes somewhere…"

"Huh?!" Mariko said. "Why didn't you tell me before?!"

"I just realised a few days ago," Takahashi said. "I'm not even sure where I've kept them. I'll go look for them. Just a second."

Mariko stayed in the bedroom. After a few minutes, she decided to put on his shirt again. That was less embarrassing than what she was wearing now, after all. When she stood up, the skirt automatically fell off. It was way too wide. She had some trouble taking off the top, though. When she tried to pull it over her head, she got stuck.

_Okay… easy, step by step… Chin, mouth – ah, now I can breathe again! – nose… ow… almost…_

"Found them!" Takahashi said when he entered the room. He immediately fell quiet when he saw Mariko. She stood two metres away from him, wearing nothing but panties and a top that got her head and arms caught. What drew his attention the most, were her breasts. He caught himself staring at them for a while.

Mariko managed to pull the top above her eyes, and the first thing she saw were Takahashi's eyes staring at her breasts.

Her face became completely red.

_No, this can't be…_

"AAAH! DON'T LOOK! DON'T LOOK!" she screamed. She tried to struggle her way out of that cursed top.

"Mariko-chan! Hey, c-calm down!" Takahashi said. "Wait. I'll help you…"

"Stay back!" Mariko yelled. "Stay back!"

"I'm just going to help you," Takahashi said. "Calm down."

He slowly walked towards her. Mariko was still shaking and looking scared, but she did seem to allow him to help her. Her face was fire red.

"I've seen you naked before," Takahashi said.

"That's not making me feel any better, Sensei," Mariko said with a frown.

He slowly reached his hands out to her and grabbed the top. Mariko was shaking heavily.

"Relax," Takahashi said in a gentle voice. "I'll be careful."

_Wow… It's really stuck… Scissors won't do any good, either. I might end up hurting her…_

He managed to pull it a little further up.

_There we go… just a little… just a little further and she's free…_

He slipped. He slipped and landed on top of her!

_Shit!_

"Ah! I'm sorry! I…"

He found himself lying on top of her. He had managed to pull the top over the rest of her head, but now it looked like he caught her arms with one hand while the other was…

Mariko didn't seem to notice. They just looked straight in each other's eyes.

With his other hand, Takahashi could feel her heartbeat go faster.

_W-what's this…? Why… am I feeling so weird?_

Without even realizing it himself, he was slightly squeezing her breast.

"Haah… what… are you d-doing?!" Mariko asked. She looked at his hand. "S-stop it!" She tried to push him away, but her arms were caught in his grip. "No, don't…!"

"Eh?" Takahashi just woke up from his thoughts, realizing what he was doing. In even less than one second, he let go of her, got off her and backed away.

"Ah! Sorry! Sorry!"

Mariko threw the top away and covered her breasts with her arms. She was all red, sweaty and shaking all over.

"It's not what you think," Takahashi said. "I didn't know what I was doing!"

_What *was* I doing?! What the hell just got into me?!_

"I'm really, really sorry," he said.

_We're no longer teacher and student._

"Don't be scared of me," he said.

_We are no longer teacher and student…_

"Please say something," he said.

… _so…_

"I-I… I'd l-like to change clothes n-now…" Mariko stuttered.

… _why wouldn't this be allowed?_

"I understand," Takahashi said.

_She's in love with me…_

"I'll just go downstairs," he said.

_If she's serious, she wouldn't mind if I…_

He left the room.

… _if I…_

He stopped.

… _what?! What am I thinking?! That she wouldn't mind if I touched her?! Of course she would!! Why do I even feel the urge to…_

He shook the thought off. This girl was fifteen years younger than him! He'd be a paedophile if he'd ever do that to her.

When Mariko came downstairs after a few minutes, she was wearing a light blue dress with a small, dark blue ribbon on the shoulder.

Takahashi looked at her.

"Wow," he said. "It suits you well."

"Th-thank you," Mariko said without looking at him. "Well then… I'm going…"

"Ok, see you tonight," Takahashi said.

Without looking back, Mariko left the house, leaving Takahashi alone with his thoughts.

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**The 'M' rating wasn't for nothing, you know :P Hope you liked it ^^ Please R&R**


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: This fanfic is based on the manga, which is a lot different from the anime. This fanfic contains spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read the manga.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

It had been a few days since the 'incident', as they called it, happened. Mariko had been avoiding Takahashi whenever he was home.

Takahashi had applied for a job as a homeroom teacher in the local senior high school. And he was accepted. Now he was much less at home and he had less time for Mariko. He didn't mind for the next few days, though. Things were going pretty awkward between them lately.

After a week of working at the school, Takahashi was invited to go to the pub with some of his colleagues. He called Mariko to tell her he would be home late, and she didn't seem to mind that at all.

"Hideaki-kun," one of his colleagues said, "have another one! It's weekend, so enjoy it already!"

Takahashi ended up drinking too much, so one of his colleagues had to bring him home. When he rang the door bell, a sleepy Mariko opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you at this hour," the man said. "This guy drank too much, so…"

"Oh… no problem," Mariko said. "Thank you for your trouble."

She supported Takahashi while walking towards his bedroom after she said goodbye to his colleague.

"Mariko-chan…" Takahashi mumbled.

"We're almost there," Mariko said. "Just keep walking for a little bit more, then you can sleep."

"Sorry to bother you again," Takahashi said. "I didn't mean to get drunk…"

"It's alright," Mariko said. "Here we are."

She lay him on his bed and took of his shoes and his jacket. She had a little trouble untying his tie. A big hand took hers.

"Thank you," Takahashi said. "That's enough."

Mariko looked at his hand and withdrew hers.

"I've been thinking," she said. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea for me to move in here in the first place…"

"Why?" Takahashi asked. His eyes were closed.

"I think you know why," Mariko said.

"No, I don't," Takahashi said.

"Please don't make me say it out loud," Mariko begged.

"Because you're in love with me?" Takahashi asked. Mariko didn't answer.

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"That's it?" he asked. "You're planning to put yourself in danger, just because you think you're in love with your teacher?"

"'Think'?" Mariko repeated.

"You teenagers have no idea what love is really like," Takahashi said. He slowly stood up. "It's attitude like that that really pisses me off. You simply haven't got a clue."

He stood right in front of her. She could smell the alcohol.

"But I… I'm really…" Mariko said softly. She didn't look at him.

"Still convinced that you're in love?" Takahashi asked. He took her wrist and pulled her on the bed.

"Waah! Hey, what are you…?" Mariko said. She didn't move when she saw him hovering over her.

"I'll show you," Takahashi said. "I'll show you it's not real."

Before Mariko could say anything back, he kissed her forcefully. Mariko tried to push him away, but she couldn't.

For a second, it seemed like he was letting her go, but instead, he took both her hands with one hand and held them above her head.

"Let go, Sensei! You're hurting me!" Mariko yelled.

"What? You're in love with me, aren't you? Then you shouldn't mind if I do this," Takahashi said while pulling up her night dress and rubbing her breast with his free hand.

"No, n-no, stop it, plea—"

He kissed her again. Mariko turned her head.

"Sensei! Stop it, please!"

"Why? After all, this _is_ what you really wanted, right?"

"No, this is…"

Takahashi took off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt while still holding her arms with one hand. A smirk appeared on his face.

"Now, next is…" he said while reaching for her panties.

Mariko panicked.

"NO!! NO, DON'T!! PLEASE DON'T!!" she screamed. She closed her eyes. She was so embarrassed.

"Why are you fighting?" Takahashi asked. "Why aren't you enjoying this?"

Mariko didn't answer. She was crying.

"I'm not gonna stop until you give me an answer," Takahashi said. He started rubbing her breast again.

"NO!!" Mariko screamed. "I… I don't know! I don't want this! Please!"

Takahashi stopped. He let go of Mariko and looked at her. She was shaking heavily. She opened her eyes. She looked scared. Terrified. She was too afraid to move. Tears were flowing out of her eyes.

"See?" Takahashi said. "You're not really in love. Now will you stop saying nonsense about moving out?"

Mariko was too scared to say anything. She still didn't move. Takahashi couldn't help but look at her breasts again.

He slowly pulled her night dress back down and stood up.

_I went too far._

"Go to bed," he said. "Forget about this."

How could she forget?

She obediently stood up, her face fire red and wet from tears and sweat, and ran for the door. When she closed it behind her, she dropped herself on her knees and cried.

Takahashi could hear her. The sound of sobbing combined with panting and the scared sounds she made, was painful.

_I went way too far._

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**Yeah, this one's a bit short, but if I had attached the next chapter to this one, it would be too long. This way, it's easier to follow ^^**

**R&R please ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

Warning: This fanfic is based on the manga, which is a lot different from the anime. This fanfic contains spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read the manga.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

When Takahashi entered the living room the next morning, Mariko was already there. She didn't look at him when he came in.

His head hurt. He couldn't remember much about last night. He did know that he felt guilty about something, but did it have anything to do with Mariko?

"Good morning," he said. But Mariko didn't answer.

_So it does have something to do with her._

"Listen… about last night…" he said. Now Mariko looked at him. She looked scared. He came closer. "I don't really… remember much… I did something bad, didn't I?"

Mariko was wearing a turtleneck, even though it was warm. She was trying to hide the bruises he gave her yesterday.

She looked away again.

"Mariko-chan," Takahashi said. He stood in front of her, obviously making her a lot more nervous. He tried to make her look at him by placing his finger under her chin and turning her head, but then she automatically pushed his hand away and took a few steps back.

Neither of them moved.

"Mariko-chan?" Takahashi asked. "Are you…" He saw her wrists. There were bruises on them.

He took her hand and looked at her wrist more closely.

"Ow," Mariko said. Takahashi rolled up her sleeve a bit and found even more bruises. He looked at her. She looked scared and she was shaking.

"Did I…" he said. He let go of her hand and took a step back. "No… Did I…?"

"_NO!! DON'T!! STOP IT!!"_

A flash of a terrified Mariko appeared in front of his eyes.

Mariko got nervous and went on her way out of the living room.

"Wait," Takahashi said. "Wait. Tell me…"

Mariko stopped and looked at him.

"Did I… r-rape you?" he asked, not even believing his own words.

"… No," Mariko said. "But…" She covered her chest with her arms, even though she was wearing a turtleneck. "You… almost did…"

"Oh my God…" Takahashi said. "Oh God, no…" He looked at Mariko.

"A-anyway," Mariko said, "I think I'm going to get some fresh air."

She left the room before Takahashi could even say anything back. She went to the backyard and sat down on the floor, her back against the wall.

_I couldn't even defend myself…_

She looked at her hands. She was wondering if she could even use her vectors. Ever since her horns were broken off, she'd been feeling weak.

She gave it a try. She concentrated, but her vectors wouldn't come out.

_Keep trying…_

Yes, they came out… sort of. Mariko could see them. They were a lot shorter and they looked like they were broken. She tried to lift a rock, but barely managed to do it. It was heavy. It was really heavy.

Takahashi entered the backyard and found Mariko, panting and sweating, and a big rock floating in front of her.

"Mariko-chan?" he said. Mariko dropped the rock and looked at him. He still scared her. She quickly stood up and kept her guard up.

"Listen," Takahashi said, "I know you'd rather be alone right now, but… I think we need to talk about this. I don't want you to be scared of me."

"I-I'm not scared," Mariko said.

"You're wearing a turtleneck on a hot day," Takahashi said. "Look, what I did to you was terrible. I was drunk, I didn't know what I was doing…"

Mariko looked away. She didn't want to hear it.

"But that's no excuse," Takahashi said. "I've hurt you and I'm really sorry for what I've done."

"You… were teaching me, weren't you?" Mariko asked out of the blue. Takahashi looked at her.

"You said I couldn't possibly know anything about love," she continued. She looked at the sky. "I've been thinking about it all night. And… maybe you're right. Maybe I _was_ fooling myself. I mean, there's a huge age difference between us. Besides, what happened last night…"

Takahashi felt so guilty. It was unbearable.

"I was really scared," Mariko continued. "I was so scared… For a moment, I thought you were really going to do it… But you didn't… And I felt relieved." She paused for a few seconds. "I think that… if I really was in love with you… I wouldn't be half as scared as I was."

She looked at him with teary eyes. "I'm sorry," she said.

Takahashi gazed at her.

_What a strange girl… apologizing to _me…

He smiled, got on his knees and embraced her head.

"You're not the one who should be apologizing here," he said.

Mariko's face became red again, but she didn't flinch.

"Anyone there?!" they suddenly heard a man's voice say from the other side of the house. Takahashi stood up. "Stay here, Mariko-chan," he said, and he walked to the front of the house. A man who looked like a soldier, was standing at his front door.

"Yes, I'm here," Takahashi said. "Who are you?"

"Are you the guy who saw what happened at the Diclonius' house twelve days ago?" the soldier asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes I am," Takahashi said. "What do you want?"

"Where is she?" the man asked. "We know you're keeping her in your house."

"Like I said at that time, I don't know where she is," Takahashi lied. "I still don't. She's gone."

The man pointed a gun at him.

"Stop lying," he said. "Just hand in the girl, and we'll let you go this time."

"Really, she's not here," Takahashi said.

"Then you won't mind if I take a tour around the house, would you?" the man said. "I mean, after all, you've got nothing to hide, right?"

Takahashi was silent for a while. "Sure, no problem," he said. "Go right ahead."

"You're coming with me," the man said. "That way, I can be sure for you not to warn her."

He turned around.

"Guys, let's go inside," he said. Two other men, who were standing beside a van, entered the house and immediately started investigating.

Takahashi, whom the man was still pointing a gun at, showed him the way upstairs.

Meanwhile, Mariko had no idea of what was going on. Suddenly, one of the soldiers entered the backyard. Mariko stared at him for a while. Then she stood up quickly and took a few steps back.

"And who might you be?" the soldier asked. He immediately saw the bruises on Mariko's wrists. He grabbed her hand and looked at it.

"Oh, I get it…" he said. He looked straight into her eyes. A smirk appeared. "I bet you're his little toy!"

Takahashi saw them from the window of his bedroom.

_Oh no, they found her…_

"Hey," the soldier who was in charge mumbled. He picked up a dress that was lying on the floor. "You got a woman here?"

"Yes," Takahashi said. "My… sister… also lives here."

"Your sister?" the soldier repeated. "That's funny, since your sister's been dead for ten years now."

_They know about that?!_

"We know everything about you," the soldier said.

"Captain," one of the other soldiers said. "We found a girl downstairs."

"Is it her?!" the captain asked. "Keep your distance, we'll capture her immediately…"

"It's not her, sir," the soldier said. "This girl is human."

The captain looked from the soldier to Takahashi, back at the soldier and followed him downstairs. Takahashi followed them. When he entered the living room, he found the other soldier keeping Mariko's hands above her head with one hand, and covering her mouth with the other hand.

"Who are you?" the captain asked. The soldier who was holding her, removed his hand from her mouth.

"I… I'm…" Mariko stuttered. She looked at Takahashi.

"She's got bruises all over her body, captain," the soldier said.

The captain looked at Takahashi. "I see," he said. "She's your little pleasure toy, ain't she?"

Without even waiting for an explanation from Takahashi, he walked towards her and laid his hand on her cheek. He moved her head and observed her face.

"You're pretty cute," he said. "You look like a human being, but…"

He turned her head and looked at the place where one of the horns should have been. He went through her hair with his fingers, in order to see it better. He was right. He found a big wound on that place. He turned her head and found a wound just like it on the other side of her head.

He was smirking.

"It _is_ you," he said. "I bet you're sleeping with this guy so that he would keep you hidden."

He turned around and looked at Takahashi. "I feel ya," he said. "I bet having sex with this girl was worth risking your life, wasn't it?"

"Leave her alone," Takahashi said. "She's never done anything wrong."

"Are you stupid?" the captain asked. "When she becomes a fully matured Diclonius, she won't hesitate to even kill her own family and friends."

"Her mother never did anything like that," Takahashi said.

"She killed her own husband," the captain said.

"She never meant to!" Mariko said.

"Shut up," the man who was holding her said.

"Take her to the van," the captain said. "We're taking her to the RFD, where she belongs."

"No!" Takahashi said. "You can't do this!"

The captain hit him really hard in the head. Takahashi fell down. His glasses were knocked off and blood was coming from his mouth.

"You're weak," the captain said. "As expected from a teacher. All weaklings. As for you… you tried to hide this girl, even when you got the chance to get away with it. It won't be long before the cops will lock you up. You'll be there for a loooooong time, pal."

He kicked Takahashi in the stomach and walked away.

"Sensei!" Mariko yelled. "Sensei! No!"

"Shut the hell up," the soldier who was still holding her in his grip said. "You were nothing but a sex toy to him in the first place." He smirked. "Which makes me wonder…" He laid his hand on one of her breasts and pushed her closer to him. He whispered in her ear: "How good are you, I wonder?" He rubbed her breast. Mariko froze.

"They're soft," the soldier said.

"Ishii, cut it out," the captain said. "Just get her in the van."

"Yes sir," Ishii said.

Mariko started to cry silently.

_What going to happen to me?_

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**And that's where the _real_ plot begins. Thank you for making it this far :) and please R&R ^^**


	10. Chapter 10

Warning: This fanfic is based on the manga, which is a lot different from the anime. This fanfic contains spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read the manga.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied. Elfen Lied is property of Okamoto Lynn.**

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The institution was huge. It was full of technology, scientists and isolation cells.

They took Mariko to a large, white room, with chains attached to the wall and a huge machine in front of it.

Ishii, the soldier who had found Mariko, got the task to prepare her for examination.

"Take off your clothes," he said.

Mariko looked at him. She took a few steps back.

"I said: take off your clothes," Ishii repeated.

"W-why?" Mariko asked.

"You won't be needing them anymore," Ishii said. "They'll get dirty soon enough, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Mariko asked nervously. "What are you going to do with me?"

"Just take off the damn clothes," Ishii said. "If you won't take them off, I will."

Mariko tried to surround herself with her vectors and protect herself, but her vectors felt so weak, she felt dizzy bringing them out.

"Just as we thought," Ishii said. "You're weak. I can easily disable your vectors."

He took out a little machine and pointed it at her.

"Now's you last chance," he said. "You can either be a good girl or get your hands disabled."

"Please don't make me do this," Mariko cried.

"Alright, that's it," Ishii said impatiently. He pressed a button on the machine and a little vector came out. It went right through Mariko's head and touched the part of the brain that controlled her vectors. Her vectors disappeared immediately. Mariko could feel a short but strong shock going through her head. She grabbed her head and screamed.

"We learned that from your mother, you know," Ishii said with a smirk. "Isn't that ironic?" He laughed shortly and put the machine away.

"Now…" he said. "Take them off."

Mariko recovered and took a few more steps back. She tried to bring out her vectors, but she couldn't.

_They're not coming out…_

"N-no, stay back…" she begged.

"If you think _this_ is scary, then you have no idea what's going to happen from now on," Ishii said. He took her wrist held it up high and ripped off her sweater.

"No! NOOO!" Mariko screamed. "STOP IT!!"

"Shut up!" Ishii said while taking off her pants. When he reached out for her bra, Mariko struggled even more.

"It hurts!" Mariko screamed. "You're hurting me!"

"You should have thought of that before you refused," Ishii said.

"Ishii," they heard a voice say. They both looked at the door. A man in a white coat wearing glasses was standing there.

"That enough," he said. "Let go of her."

"But she's–"

"Now, Ishii," the man said strictly. Ishii let go of Mariko and angrily walked towards the man. He grabbed the collar of his coat.

"Don't you tell me what to do," he said. "I'll kill you."

"If you kill me, then they will kill you," the man said calmly. "You can go back to your post now."

Ishii pushed him away and left the room. The man stared after him until he was gone, and then looked at Mariko. She was on her knees, silently crying and shaking. She tried to cover herself, for all she was wearing now were her bra and her panties. When she looked at the scientist, she blushed and immediately looked away.

The man had a friendly expression on his face. He walked towards her and sat beside her. Mariko wanted to run away, but she felt very weak. She tried to crawl away, but the man stopped her by holding her shoulder.

"Don't be scared," the man said. "I won't treat you like Ishii just did."

Mariko tried to get away, but she felt weaker and weaker. The man had no problem stopping her from moving. He went with his hand through her hair and saw the wounds.

"You really are a Diclonius," he said. "Unbelievable. You broke off your horns."

"What are you going to do with me?" Mariko asked nervously.

"Today… nothing," the man said. "You can't use your vectors for a few hours now."

"I want to go home," Mariko cried.

"I know," the man said. "It's scary when you've just arrived here. But most of you get used to it pretty soon. Especially those of your age. Once you get stronger, you'll be just fine."

"I don't want to be a test subject," Mariko said. "I just want my life back."

"I can't help you with that," the man said. "But I can help you live here. Help you get used to this place and your daily routine. You can tell me anything. If you let me help you get through this, you'll be ok. Trust me."

Mariko looked at him. He was so friendly.

_He looks like Sensei…_

The man stood up.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

Mariko slowly stood up. She was still shaking.

"Good," the man said. "Now can you please take off your underwear?"

Mariko looked at him in surprise and fear.

"Now don't look at me like that," the man said friendly. "It's alright. All Diclonius here are naked. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Mariko still didn't move.

"If you won't do it, I'm afraid I'll have to call Ishii back here," the man said. "I don't want to do that to you, so please… just do it, ok? I won't touch you."

Mariko hesitated for a while.

The man sighed. "I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice," he said. He turned around and said: "Could you call Ishii back?"

"No, wait!" Mariko said. "I'll do it, I'll do it!"

The man looked at her.

Mariko's hands were trembling while she slowly took off her bra. Before she uncovered her breasts, she asked: "Could you just… please… not look at me?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to do that," the man said. "I have to keep my eye on you while I'm here."

Mariko stared at him, then turned around and dropped her bra on the floor. Taking off her panties in front of him was just as embarrassing, especially because he was standing behind her.

"Go on, it's ok," the man said.

Mariko decided that even though it was embarrassing, it was still better than Ishii ripping her underwear off. She dropped her panties, then she didn't move.

"Good girl," the man said. "Come with me." He pointed at the door.

Mariko covered her breasts with her arms and slowly followed the scientist. They went to a smaller room that looked like a doctor's office.

"Please sit down," the man said while pointing at a small chair. Mariko sat down and looked around. The scientist took his own chair and sat in front of her.

"I think I haven't introduced myself yet," he said. "My name is Yamada Nobu. You can call me Nobu. Nice to meet you."

He took his stethoscope.

"I'm going to run some small physical tests on you," he said.

"Phy-physical tests?!" Mariko asked.

"You know, heart beat, blood pressure, reflexes, that sort of thing," Nobu said. "It won't hurt."

"But I'm… I'm…" Mariko stuttered.

"You're what?" Nobu asked. "Hey, I've done this hundreds of times. Seeing a naked body doesn't do anything to me. You don't have to be scared for me to…"

"Alright, alright!" Mariko said. She didn't want to hear it.

"Ok," Nobu said. He took his stethoscope. "I'm going to listen to your heartbeat first. Please remove your arms."

Mariko's face flushed even more when she slowly moved her arms. She saw him looking at her breasts. Even when Takahashi had harassed her, she didn't feel as uncomfortable as she did here.

"You…" Nobu said. "Have you been…"

He saw some bruises on and around her breasts. He looked into her eyes.

"That man you've been living with… did he…?" he asked. He also saw the bruises on her wrists. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing," Mariko said quickly. "I… fell down."

"I've seen marks like these," Nobu said strictly. "You don't have to be afraid. He won't find you here."

"He didn't…"

"That's probably why you're so scared to be touched by others," Nobu said. "Just relax. This will be over in a few minutes."

The stethoscope was cold. Then again, Mariko was cold, too.

"Are you ok?" Nobu asked. Mariko's face was completely red.

"No, I'm not," Mariko said. "I'm so embarrassed."

Nobu smiled. "You'll get used to it," he said. "And remember that you can tell me anything. You're not going to like your stay here, so I'm going to help you get through this."

She didn't care if she was not allowed to move during the examination. Mariko just couldn't hold it in anymore. She grabbed her head with her hands, leaned on her legs with her elbows and cried hysterically. Nobu stopped his actions. He felt sorry for her. Even though he had gone through this so many times, he still felt such pity for all the girls brought in here.

"What did I do wrong?!" Mariko cried. "What did I do to deserve this?! I'm not a bad person! I never killed anyone in my whole life!"

"I know…"

"THEN WHY?!"

"Mariko-chan, listen to me. Getting mad won't help you. It'll only make things worse."

"… That's not fair…"

"You're right. It isn't fair. I believe all this is wrong, too. That's why I'm trying to help you."

He had to get on with the examination, but when he tried to continue, Mariko grabbed his wrist.

"Stop it," she said. "Please…"

"Mariko-chan, if you won't let me finish, I will have to get you sedated," said Nobu strictly. "I don't want to do that. This'll be over in a few minutes, so please co-operate. Ok?"

Mariko wiped her tears away and closed her eyes. She relieved a sigh as Nobu continued examining her. She just tried not to think about it, hoping that she would get out of here soon.

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**Ok, I'm imagining Nobu as kind of a geek, but still someone who has good social skills. **

**Now Mariko is going to face the life of a Diclonius in captivity (I'm saying it like she's some kind of animal XD but in Elfen Lied, all Diclonius were treated like animals in the institution, so whatever :P).**

**I still hope you like it, thank you very much for reading and once again: please let me know what you think of this fanfic so far. Thank you ^^**


	11. On Hiatus

Hello, dear readers of this fanfic,

I'm writing this brief announcement, because I just got a question from someone who calls herself Arrona and I'd like to respond to that. But first:

If you want me to respond to your review or answer your questions, please **login**, because I can't respond if the review is not signed… ^^;

I know I haven't been uploading new chapters for a while (omg three months already?!), but here's the reason why: my **laptop crashed** around that time. First, I tried to fix it myself, but that turned out to be an epic fail, so I brought it back to the store about a month and a half ago. They sent it to a repairing service and I haven't heard anything from them ever since. I'll go after that in a few days.

Anyways, Arrona's question was: "**Will there be any more chapters?**". The answer is: **yes**. I have been writing on a new chapter on my laptop before it crashed. I thought it was pretty good, so I didn't feel like re-writing the whole chapter all over again. Besides, I've reached the plot point in one of my other fics ("Long Lost Sister", a TMNT fanfic, sequel to "Big Bro Donatello").

So I'm putting this fic **on hiatus **until I get my laptop back (with full backup and all) and get to finish the new chapter. Please be a little more patient. As the other fic I'm currently writing on is approaching its end, I will have plenty of time to come up with new chapters for this one. So by that time, the chapters will probably be uploaded a lot more frequently.

Once again, I'm very sorry and I hope you understand. Please keep an eye on this fic by subscribing or something. That way, the story will stay alive. Thank you very much.

With love,

GoddessHanyuu ~ nano desu!


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